Announcements

CCR Labour Trafficking Backgrounder: Available Online and in Print FormatThe CCR Backgrounder on Trafficking in Persons and Forced Labour is now available online and in print format.

This resource provides information on the various dimensions of trafficking in persons for the purpose of forced labour in Canada. It is meant to raise awareness about this issue in a Canadian context, and to illustrate some of the effects of recent policy shifts towards more precarious temporary immigration in Canada.

Reports and media

Report of the Canadian Women’s Foundation National Task Force on Sex Trafficking of Women and Girls in CanadaThe National Task Force on Sex Trafficking of Women and Girls in Canada, commissioned by the Canadian Women’s Foundation (CWF), has published its report entitled “"No More" Ending Sex Trafficking in Canada”. The Task Force was launched in 2012 by the CWF in an effort to develop a long-term strategy to address sex trafficking in Canada. The Canadian Council for Refugees was represented among the Task Force members with a view to highlighting the protection needs of migrant women and girls in Canada, as well as the immigration policies and gaps that increase their vulnerability to trafficking.

Among the Task Force’s recommendations to improve anti-trafficking policy and legislation in Canada are several focused on strengthening protections for migrant women and girls by:

Entrenching Temporary Resident Permits (TRPs) in legislation;

Ensuring TRPs are not conditional upon cooperation with police investigations or prosecutions;

Report: Trafficking of Aboriginal Women and Girls, Prepared for Public Safety
This report was prepared by Dr. Yvonne Boyer and Peggy Kampouris of Red Willow Consulting for Public Safety Canada. The report documents research carried out between October 2013 and February 2014 and focuses on the history, risks, and vulnerabilities of Aboriginal women and girls particularly to sexual exploitation and human trafficking in Canada.

This Forum is an opportunity for non-governmental organizations, service providers and others working on trafficking issues in Canada to exchange information and best practices and to develop strategies to better meet the needs of trafficked persons in Canada. The Forum will also work towards identifying and analyzing policy concerns in order to establish priorities and specific actions to better protect the rights of trafficked persons in Canada.

International developments

New Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Handbook: How to prevent human trafficking for domestic servitude in diplomatic households and protect private domestic workersThe OSCE has published a new handbook on preventing human trafficking for the purpose of domestic servitude in diplomatic households. This handbook explores different ways of regulating the employment of domestic workers by diplomatic personnel and officials, and how to detect abuses. It looks at how to proceed in situations of exploitation, while ensuring the protection of domestic workers' rights.